Gas supplier, processing device, and method for manufacturing semiconductor device

Abstract

To save space in a gas supply section while ensuring the characteristics of the gas supplied through an aperture.SOLUTION: In a gas supply section having a first piping section into which gas is introduced and a second piping section having an aperture through which the gas is released, the cross-sectional area of a flow path of the second piping section is larger than the cross-sectional area of a flow path of the first piping section, and in plan view, the direction in which the gas is released from the aperture is inclined in the direction from the center of the first piping section toward the center of the second piping section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a gas supplier, a processing device, and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device. [Background technology]

[0002] As one step in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a process of forming a film on a substrate is performed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). The nozzles (hereinafter referred to as gas supply bodies) described in these documents ensure the uniform flow of processing gas over the substrate, thereby ensuring process performance. Generally, this type of gas supply body requires space for installation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-028256 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2018 / 008088 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a technique for realizing space saving of a gas supply body while ensuring the properties of the gas supplied from an opening. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a first piping section into which gas is introduced and a second piping section having an opening through which the gas is released, a flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the second piping section is larger than a flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the first piping section; The direction in which the gas is released from the opening is inclined with respect to the direction from the center of the first piping section to the center of the second piping section in a plan view. Technology is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to achieve space saving for the gas supply body while ensuring the characteristics of the gas supplied from the opening. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an example of a processing apparatus suitably used in an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is an external view of a gas supply body provided in a processing apparatus suitably used in an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 is an external view of a gas supply body provided in a processing apparatus suitably used in an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing an example of a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Figure 3, with the openings omitted. [Figure 5] 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a gas flow inside a gas supply body provided in a processing apparatus preferably used in an embodiment of the present disclosure, with a connection portion omitted. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a cross-sectional view of FIG. 3. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a planar cross section of a processing apparatus preferably used in an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating an arrangement in which an additional gas supply body is provided in addition to the gas supply body provided in the processing apparatus preferably used in the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating an arrangement in which a second gas supply source is provided in addition to the gas supply source provided in a processing apparatus preferably used in an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a controller used in a processing apparatus preferably used in an embodiment of the present disclosure, and is a block diagram showing a control system of the controller. [Figure 11](A) is a graph showing the flow velocity of the raw material gas in the first piping section of the gas supply body, (B) is a graph showing the concentration of the pyrolysis gas in the first piping section of the gas supply body, and (C) is a graph showing the partial pressure of the pyrolysis gas in the second piping section of the gas supply body. [Figure 12] 10 is a graph showing the flow velocity of gas at an opening of a second piping section of a gas supply body provided in a processing apparatus preferably used in an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] <Embodiments of the present disclosure> Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described mainly with reference to Figures 1 to 11. Note that all drawings used in the following description are schematic, and the dimensional relationships and ratios of elements shown in the drawings do not necessarily correspond to the actual ones. Furthermore, the dimensional relationships and ratios of elements between multiple drawings do not necessarily correspond to the actual ones. Furthermore, symbols commonly used in the drawings indicate the same members or structures, even if there is no special explanation in the description of each drawing.

[0009] (Processing device) FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an example of a processing apparatus 2 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a cylindrical manifold 18 is connected to the lower end opening of a reaction tube 10 via a sealing member 20 such as an O-ring, thereby supporting the lower end of the reaction tube 10. The manifold 18 is made of a metal such as stainless steel. The lower end opening of the manifold 18 is opened and closed by a disk-shaped lid 22. The lid 22 is made of a metal, for example. A sealing member 20 such as an O-ring is installed on the upper surface of the lid 22, thereby airtightly sealing the inside of the reaction tube 10 from the outside air. An insulating member 24 having a hole formed in the center from top to bottom is placed on the lid 22. The insulating member 24 is made of quartz, for example.

[0010] The processing chamber 14 accommodates a boat 26 serving as a substrate holder for vertically supporting a plurality of wafers W, e.g., 25 to 150 wafers W, in a shelf-like arrangement. The boat 26 is made of, for example, quartz or SiC. The boat 26 is supported above the thermal insulation section 24 by a rotation shaft 28 that penetrates the lid section 22 and the thermal insulation section 24. The rotation shaft 28 is connected to a rotation mechanism 30 installed below the lid section 22. Here, a magnetic fluid seal, for example, is provided at the portion of the lid section 22 through which the rotation shaft 28 penetrates. This allows the rotation shaft 28 to rotate while hermetically sealing the interior of the reaction tube 10. The lid section 22 is driven vertically by a boat elevator 32 serving as an elevating mechanism. This allows the boat 26 and the lid section 22 to be raised and lowered together, allowing the boat 26 to be loaded into and unloaded from the reaction tube 10.

[0011] The processing apparatus 2 is equipped with a gas supply mechanism 34 that supplies gases used for substrate processing into the processing chamber 14. The gases supplied by the gas supply mechanism 34 are changed depending on the type of film to be obtained by the film formation process. Here, the gas supply mechanism 34 includes a source gas supply unit, a reactive gas supply unit, and an inert gas supply unit.

[0012] The source gas supply unit includes a gas supply pipe 36a, which is provided with, in order from the upstream side, a mass flow controller (MFC) 38a serving as a flow rate controller and a valve 40a serving as an on-off valve. The gas supply pipe 36a is connected to a gas supply body 44a penetrating the sidewall of the manifold 18. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the gas supply body 44a is formed as a nozzle. The gas supply body 44a is installed upright in the supply buffer chamber 10A along the vertical direction. The gas supply body 44a has a plurality of openings 45a each having a vertically elongated slit shape that opens toward the wafers W held in the boat 26. The source gas is diffused into the supply buffer chamber 10A through the openings 45a of the gas supply body 44a and is supplied to the wafers W through the slits 10D of the supply buffer chamber 10A. Details of the gas supply body 44a will be described later.

[0013] In a similar configuration, a reactive gas is supplied to the wafer W from the reactive gas supply unit via gas supply pipe 36b, MFC 38b, valve 40b, additional gas supply body 44b, and slit 10D. Similar to gas supply body 44a, additional gas supply body 44b is formed as a nozzle. Multiple openings 45b (see FIG. 7) that open toward the wafer W held in boat 26 are formed in additional gas supply body 44b. An inert gas is supplied to the wafer W from the inert gas supply unit via gas supply pipes 36c, 36d, MFCs 38c, 38d, valves 40c, 40d, gas supply body 44a, additional gas supply body 44b, and slit 10D.

[0014] A heater 12 is disposed around the reaction tube 10 to heat the wafers W in the processing chamber 14 to a predetermined temperature. A temperature sensor 16 (see FIG. 7 ) serving as a temperature detector is installed in the reaction tube 10. The temperature distribution in the processing chamber 14 is achieved as desired by adjusting the power supply to the heater 12 based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor 16. The temperature sensor 16 is installed along the outer wall of the reaction tube 10. An exhaust pipe 46 is also attached to the reaction tube 10 so as to communicate with the exhaust buffer chamber 10B. A vacuum pump 52 serving as a vacuum exhaust device is connected to the exhaust pipe 46 via a pressure sensor 48 serving as a pressure detector for detecting the pressure in the processing chamber 14 and an APC (Auto Pressure Controller) valve 50 serving as a pressure regulator. This configuration allows the pressure in the processing chamber 14 to be adjusted to a processing pressure appropriate for the processing.

[0015] A controller 100 that controls the rotation mechanism 30, the boat elevator 32, the MFCs 38a-d and valves 40a-d of the gas supply mechanism 34, and the APC valve 50 are electrically connected. The controller 100 includes, for example, a microprocessor (computer) with a CPU, and is configured to control the operation of the processing device 2. An input / output device 102 configured as, for example, a touch panel or the like is connected to the controller 100.

[0016] A storage unit 104 serving as a storage medium is connected to the controller 100. The storage unit 104 readably stores a control program for controlling the operation of the processing device 2 and a program (also called a recipe) for causing each component of the processing device 2 to execute processing according to processing conditions.

[0017] The storage unit 104 may be a storage device 100c (such as a hard disk or flash memory) built into the controller 100, or a portable external storage device 103 (such as a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk such as a flexible disk or a hard disk, an optical disk such as a CD or a DVD, a magneto-optical disk such as an MO, or a semiconductor memory such as a USB memory or a memory card). The program may be provided to the computer using a communication means such as the Internet or a dedicated line. The program is read from the storage unit 104 as needed, for example, in response to an instruction from the input / output device 102. The controller 100 then executes processing in accordance with the read recipe, and the processing device 2 executes the desired processing under the control of the controller 100. Details of the controller 100 will be described later.

[0018] (gas supplier) 2 and 3, the gas supply body 44a is configured such that the first piping section 61 and the second piping section 62 are arranged in parallel, and extend in the vertical direction with a gap-like interval between the first piping section 61 and the second piping section 62. In addition, FIG. 3 shows the appearance of the gas supply body 44a in FIG. 2 with the opening 45a facing forward, and it can be seen that the diameters of the first piping section 61 and the second piping section 62 are different.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the gas supply unit 44a includes a first piping section 61 through which gas is introduced, a second piping section 62 having an opening 45a through which gas is released, and a turn-back section 63 connecting the first piping section 61 and the second piping section 62. Specifically, the first piping section 61 extends upward from the introduction section 60 through which gas is introduced and reaches the turn-back section 63 at its upper end. The second piping section 62 then bends 180° at the turn-back section 63, extending downward. A plurality of slit-shaped openings 45a are provided on the side surface of the second piping section 62 along the longitudinal direction. The second piping section 62 has a blind end near the bend of the first piping section 61. In other words, the gas supply unit 44a of this embodiment can be configured as a so-called U-turn nozzle.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the inner diameter of the second piping section 62 is larger than that of the first piping section 61, and thus the cross-sectional area of ​​the first piping section 61 is larger than that of the first piping section 61. With this configuration, the inner diameter of the first piping section 61, which is the outward piping, is reduced, thereby increasing the flow rate and suppressing thermal decomposition of the gas in the first piping section 61. Furthermore, by reducing the flow rate of the gas in the second piping section 62, which is the return piping, the flow rates of the gas ejected from the openings 45 a provided in the second piping section 62 can be made uniform. In addition, the first piping section 61, which has a smaller cross-sectional area and a smaller heat capacity, can be disposed closer to the heater 12, thereby further facilitating heating of the gas flowing therethrough. The openings 45 a provided in the second piping section 62 face toward the center of the reaction tube 10.

[0021] FIG. 4 shows a cross section taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3 (however, the opening 45a is omitted). As shown in FIG. 4, the gas supply body 44a of this embodiment has a connecting portion 67 that connects the first piping section 61 and the second piping section 62. Specifically, an arc-shaped connecting portion 67 is provided so as to connect the outer walls of the first piping section 61 and the second piping section 62. This connecting portion 67 prevents damage to the gas supply body 44a due to thermal stress. As long as it does not protrude from the second piping section 62, the shape is not limited to this, and it may be cylindrical, columnar (with a circular cross section), or polygonal in cross section.

[0022] 5 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of gas inside the gas supply body 44a. As shown in FIG. 5, the direction D in which gas is released from the opening 45a is inclined with respect to the direction L from the center of the first piping section 61 toward the center of the second piping section 62. Specifically, the direction D is inclined at an angle other than 90° with respect to the direction L, more specifically, the angle θ formed by the direction D when facing the direction L is an obtuse angle. This configuration can suppress attenuation of the amount of gas ejected from the opening 45a provided on the upper end side of the second piping section 62 due to the influence of inertia.

[0023] FIG. 6 is an example of a cross-sectional view of the turn-back section 63 shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 6, the turn-back section 63 is divided by a vertex 64 into an extension section 65, which has the same flow path cross-sectional area as the first piping section 61, and a transition section 66, where the flow path cross-sectional area changes. The flow path cross-sectional area changes from the vertex 64. Specifically, the flow path cross-sectional area gradually increases from the vertex 64 to the second piping section 62. This configuration allows gas to be released from the openings 45a of the second piping section 62, which is the return piping, without substantially changing (specifically, decreasing) the flow rate of the gas flowing through the first piping section 61, which is the outward piping. Furthermore, the gas supplied from each of the multiple openings 45a can be made uniform.

[0024] 6, the apex 64 of the turning portion 63 has the same flow path cross-sectional area as the first piping portion 61. With this configuration, the flow rate of the gas up to the apex 64 can be made constant, thereby reducing fluctuations in the flow rate of the gas from the first piping portion 61 to the second piping portion 62. As a result, the influence of thermal decomposition and the like on the gas supplied from the opening 45a of the second piping portion 62 can be reduced.

[0025] 2 and 3, the change section 66 is provided at a position higher than the openings 45a provided in the second piping section 62. With this configuration, the change in the flow rate of the gas from the first piping section 61 to the second piping section 62 does not affect the position of the openings 45a, and the gas supplied from each of the multiple openings 45a of the second piping section 62 can be made uniform.

[0026] 2, a connecting portion 67 is provided to connect the outer walls of the first piping portion 61 and the second piping portion 62. With this configuration, the connecting portion 67 prevents the second piping portion 62 from moving away from the first piping portion 61, thereby preventing stress from being generated in the folded portion 63 of the gas supply body 44a, particularly near the apex portion 64, and preventing breakage at this location. Furthermore, because the connecting portion 67 is welded while maintaining strength, it is preferable to minimize the number of welds to minimize thermal distortion due to welding.

[0027] 2, at least one connecting portion 67 is provided at a position higher than the lower end of the opening 45a provided in the second piping portion 62. In addition, at least one connecting portion 67 is provided at a position lower than the opening 45a provided in the second piping portion 62.

[0028] For example, if the connecting portion 67 is provided only near the center or upper end of the second piping portion 62, damage to the apex 64 is suppressed, but the second piping portion 62 is deformed by heat below the connecting portion 67. This deformation causes the flow of gas supplied from the opening 45a to become unstable and the direction of the gas to be supplied is unstable, making it impossible to make the gas flow from the opening 45a uniform. As a result, there is a concern that the quality of the substrates manufactured from the wafers W may be reduced.

[0029] However, in this embodiment, a connecting portion 67 is provided on the lower end side of the second piping portion 62 so as to connect the outer walls of the first piping portion 61 and the second piping portion 62. This configuration not only prevents damage to the gas supply body 44a due to stress, particularly near the apex 64 of the folded portion 63, but also suppresses deformation of the second piping portion 62 due to heat. This stabilizes the flow of gas supplied from the opening 45a and allows it to be introduced in a desired direction.

[0030] 2, the connecting portions 67 are provided at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of each of the first piping portion 61 and the second piping portion 62. That is, since a plurality of connecting portions 67 are provided, the strength of the gas supply body 44a against thermal stress is increased. This reduces the possibility of deformation or damage of the gas supply body 44a due to heat.

[0031] Here, the cross-sectional area of ​​the connecting portion 67 is configured to be smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the first piping portion 61. With this configuration, the flow of gas supplied from the opening 45a of the gas supply body 44a is not obstructed by the connecting portion 67, and the gas flow can be made uniform. Furthermore, since the connecting portion 67 can be provided so as not to protrude from the second piping portion 62 in a plan view, the gas supply body 44a can be disposed in a narrow space that can accommodate a U-turn nozzle.

[0032] 5, when facing the direction L from the first piping section 61 toward the second piping section 62, the angle θ formed with the direction D in which gas is released from the opening 45a is an obtuse angle greater than 90° and less than 120°. That is, because the angle θ is greater than 90°, the change in direction from direction L to direction D is gradual. This prevents an increase in the amount of gas supplied to the wall surface of the supply buffer chamber 10A, which would suppress the gas flow rate and volume. Furthermore, because the angle θ is less than 120°, the gas supply body 44a can be disposed within the supply buffer chamber 10A, and the gas supply body 44a does not protrude into the processing chamber 14, eliminating concerns about adverse effects on substrate processing.

[0033] 4, the openings 45a are provided in the flow path provided inside the second piping section 62 in a direction intersecting (i.e., perpendicular to) the direction in which the gas flows inside the second piping section (i.e., perpendicular to the plane of the paper in the drawing). Although the openings 45a are depicted as slits in the drawing, they may be holes, and a plurality of these slits or holes are provided along the longitudinal direction of the second piping section 62. With this configuration, the flow rate of the gas supplied from each of the openings 45a arranged in the second piping section 62 can be made uniform in the longitudinal direction of the second piping section 62 (in other words, in the up-and-down direction).

[0034] 1 includes the gas supply body 44a as described above. That is, the processing apparatus 2 of the present embodiment includes a first piping section 61 into which a gas is introduced, a second piping section 62 having an opening 45a from which the gas is released, and a folded section 63 connecting the first piping section 61 and the second piping section 62, in which the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the second piping section 62 is larger than the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the first piping section 61, and the direction D in which the gas is released from the opening 45a (see FIG. 5) is inclined with respect to the direction L from the center of the first piping section 61 toward the center of the second piping section 62 in a plan view.

[0035] In the processing apparatus 2 of this embodiment, the inner diameter of the second piping section 62 of the gas supply body 44a is larger than the inner diameter of the first piping section 61, and therefore the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the first piping section 61 is larger than the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the first piping section 61. With this configuration, by reducing the inner diameter of the first piping section 61, which is the outward piping, the flow rate is increased and thermal decomposition of the gas in the first piping section 61 can be suppressed. Furthermore, by reducing the flow rate of the gas in the second piping section 62, which is the return piping, the flow rate of the gas ejected from each opening 45a provided in the second piping section 62 can be made uniform.

[0036] The opening 45a provided in the second piping section 62 faces the center of the reaction tube 10. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, when viewed from the center of the reaction tube 10, the opening 45a is located at the front, and the second piping section 62 and the first piping section 61 appear to be partially overlapping. As shown in FIG. 5, the direction D of gas release from the opening 45a is inclined at an angle other than 90° with respect to a line L connecting the centers of the first piping section 61 and the second piping section 62. With this configuration, in the processing apparatus 2 of this embodiment, attenuation of the gas ejection amount due to the influence of inertia at the opening 45a provided at the upper end side of the second piping section 62 can be suppressed.

[0037] In the processing apparatus 2 of this embodiment, as shown schematically in the plan cross section of FIG. 7, in addition to the above-mentioned gas supply body 44a, an additional gas supply body 44b is accommodated in the supply buffer chamber 10A across a partition wall 10C.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 8, a single supply buffer chamber 10A without a partition wall 10C may further include an additional gas supply body 44b configured to have an opening 45b on its side, and the gas supply body 44a and the additional gas supply body 44b may be arranged side by side to supply gas from both. It is desirable that the gas supplied from the gas supply body 44a and the gas supplied from the additional gas supply body 44b are different. Specifically, it is desirable that the gas supply body 44a is configured to supply a source gas, and the additional gas supply body 44b is configured to supply a reaction gas. Furthermore, the opening 45a of the gas supply body 44a may be formed in a slit shape, and the opening 45b of the additional gas supply body 44b may be formed in a hole shape.

[0039] Here, the additional gas supply body 44b has approximately the same length in the vertical direction as the gas supply body 44a, but is not a U-turn nozzle like the gas supply body 44a, but is configured as a so-called straight nozzle that is straight from the lower end to the upper end. Then, on the side of the additional gas supply body 44b facing the center of the reaction tube 10, a plurality of hole-like openings 45b are formed along the longitudinal direction, which approximately coincides with the range where the slit-like openings 45a are provided in the gas supply body 44a.

[0040] The above configuration allows the distance between the opening 45a of the gas supply body 44a and the opening 45b of the additional gas supply body 44b to be reduced. This effectively suppresses backflow of gas supplied from the openings 45a and 45b. Therefore, backflow does not occur on the wafer W, and the gases supplied from the openings 45a and 45b flow evenly over the surface of the wafer W, thereby ensuring uniformity in film thickness across the wafer W. Furthermore, while ensuring process performance in substrate processing, the installation space for the gas supply body 44a and the additional gas supply body 44b can be significantly reduced. For example, the gas supply body 44a with a U-turn nozzle and the additional gas supply body 44b with a straight nozzle can be installed close to each other in the supply buffer chamber 10A, thereby saving space.

[0041] 9, the processing apparatus 2 of this embodiment may further include a second gas supply source 44c having the same configuration as the gas supply source 44a in a single supply buffer chamber 10A without a partition wall 10C. The gas supply source 44a and the second gas supply source 44c may be arranged side by side to supply the gas from both sources. The gas supply source 44a and the second gas supply source 44c may also be arranged so that the distance X1 between the first piping sections 61, 61 and the distance X2 between the second piping sections 62, 62 are the same. Furthermore, in a plan view, it is desirable that at least one of the distance Y1 between the centers of the first piping section 61 and the second piping section 62 in the gas supply body 44a or the distance Y2 between the centers of the first piping section 61 and the second piping section 62 in the second gas supply body 44c be shorter than the distance X1 between the centers of the first piping sections 61, 61 of the gas supply body 44a and the second gas supply body 44c or the distance X1 between the centers of the second piping sections 62, 62. Furthermore, in a plan view, it is desirable that the distance Y1 between the centers of the first piping section 61 and the second piping section 62 of the gas supply body 44a be the same as the distance Z1 between the centers of the second piping section 62 of the gas supply body 44a and the first piping section 61 of the second gas supply body 44c.

[0042] The above configuration allows the distance between the opening 45a of the gas supply body 44a and the opening 45b of the second gas supply body 44c to be reduced. This effectively suppresses backflow of gas supplied through the openings 45a and 45b. Therefore, backflow does not occur on the wafer W, and the gases supplied through the openings 45a and 45b flow evenly over the surface of the wafer W, thereby ensuring uniformity in film thickness across the wafer W. Furthermore, this configuration not only ensures process performance during substrate processing, but also significantly reduces the installation space for the gas supply body 44a and the second gas supply body 44c. For example, the gas supply body 44a and the second gas supply body 44c, which are two U-turn nozzles, can be installed close to each other within the supply buffer chamber 10A, thereby saving space.

[0043] (Control unit) 10, a controller 100, which is a control unit (control means), is configured as a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 100a, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 100b, a storage device 100c, and an I / O port 100d. The RAM 100b, the storage device 100c, and the I / O port 100d are configured to be able to exchange data with the CPU 100a via an internal bus 100e. An input / output device 122, which is configured as, for example, a touch panel, is connected to the controller 100.

[0044] The storage device 100c is composed of, for example, a flash memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc. The storage device 100c readably stores a control program for controlling the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, as well as etching recipes and process recipes that describe procedures and conditions for nozzle etching and film formation processes (described later). The etching recipes and process recipes are combined to cause the controller 100 to execute each procedure in the substrate processing process (described later) to obtain a predetermined result, and function as a program. Hereinafter, these process recipes and control programs are collectively referred to simply as "programs." The etching recipes and process recipes are also simply referred to as "recipe." In this specification, the term "program" may refer to a recipe alone, a control program alone, or both. The RAM 100b is configured as a memory area (work area) for temporarily storing programs, data, etc., read by the CPU 100a.

[0045] The I / O port 100d is connected to the above-mentioned MFCs 38a to 38d, valves 40a to 40d, pressure sensor 48, APC valve 50, vacuum pump 52, heater 12, temperature sensor 16, rotation mechanism 30, boat elevator 32, and the like.

[0046] The CPU 100a is configured to read and execute a control program from the storage device 100c, and also to read a recipe from the storage device 100c in response to input of an operation command from the input / output device 102. The CPU 100a is configured to control, in accordance with the contents of the read recipe, the flow rate adjustment operation of various gases by the MFCs 38a-38d, the opening and closing operations of the valves 40a-40d, the opening and closing operation of the APC valve 50 and the pressure adjustment operation by the APC valve 50 based on the pressure sensor 48, the start and stop of the vacuum pump 52, the temperature adjustment operation of the heater 12 based on the temperature sensor 16, the rotation and rotation speed adjustment operation of the boat 26 by the rotation mechanism 30, the raising and lowering operation of the boat 26 by the boat elevator 32, and the like.

[0047] The controller 100 can be configured by installing the above-mentioned program stored in an external storage device 103 (for example, a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk such as a flexible disk or a hard disk, an optical disk such as a CD or a DVD, a magneto-optical disk such as an MO, or a semiconductor memory such as a USB memory or a memory card) into a computer. The storage device 100c and the external storage device 103 constitute the storage unit 104 shown in FIG. 1 and are configured as computer-readable recording media. Hereinafter, these will be collectively referred to simply as recording media. When the term "recording medium" is used in this specification, it may include only the storage device 100c alone, only the external storage device 103 alone, or both. Note that the program may be provided to the computer using a communication means such as the Internet or a dedicated line, without using the external storage device 103.

[0048] Next, an example of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device will be described, in which a process for forming a film on a substrate (i.e., a film formation process) is performed using the above-described processing device 2. Here, an example will be described in which a film is formed on a wafer W by supplying a source gas and a reactive gas to the wafer W. In the following description, the operation of each part constituting the processing device 2 is controlled by a controller 100.

[0049] (Wafer charge and boat load) When multiple wafers W are loaded into the boat 26 (wafer charge), the boat 26 is transported into the processing chamber 14 (boat load) by the boat elevator 32, and the lower opening of the reaction tube 10 is airtightly closed (sealed) by the lid 22.

[0050] (Pressure and temperature adjustment) The processing chamber 14 is evacuated (reduced pressure exhausted) by the vacuum pump 52 so that the interior of the processing chamber 14 reaches a predetermined pressure (vacuum level). The pressure inside the processing chamber 14 is measured by the pressure sensor 48, and the APC valve 50 is feedback-controlled based on the measured pressure information. The wafers W inside the processing chamber 14 are heated by the heater 12 so that they reach a predetermined temperature. At this time, the power supply to the heater 12 is feedback-controlled based on temperature information detected by the temperature sensor 16 so that the processing chamber 14 has a predetermined temperature distribution. The rotation mechanism 30 also starts to rotate the boat 26 and the wafers W.

[0051] (film formation process) [Source gas supply process] When the temperature inside the processing chamber 14 stabilizes at a preset processing temperature, the source gas is supplied to the wafer W inside the processing chamber 14. The source gas is controlled to a desired flow rate by the MFC 38a and is supplied into the processing chamber 14 via the gas supply pipe 36a, the gas supply body 44a, and the slit 10D.

[0052] [Raw gas exhaust process] Next, the supply of the source gas is stopped, and the processing chamber 14 is evacuated to a vacuum by the vacuum pump 52. At this time, an inert gas may be supplied into the processing chamber 14 from the inert gas supply unit (inert gas purge).

[0053] [Reaction gas supply process] Next, a reactive gas is supplied to the wafer W in the processing chamber 14. The reactive gas is controlled to a desired flow rate by the MFC 38b and is supplied into the processing chamber 14 via the gas supply pipe 36b, the additional gas supply body 44b, and the slit 10D.

[0054] [Reaction gas exhaust process] Next, the supply of the reaction gas is stopped, and the processing chamber 14 is evacuated to a vacuum by the vacuum pump 52. At this time, an inert gas may be supplied into the processing chamber 14 from an inert gas supply unit (inert gas purge).

[0055] By repeating the cycle of the above-described four steps a predetermined number of times (one or more times), a film having a predetermined composition and a predetermined thickness can be formed on the wafer W.

[0056] (Boat unloading and wafer discharging) After a film of a predetermined thickness is formed, an inert gas is supplied from the inert gas supply unit, the atmosphere in the processing chamber 14 is replaced with the inert gas, and the pressure in the processing chamber 14 is returned to normal pressure. Then, the boat elevator 32 lowers the lid 22, and the boat 26 is unloaded from the reaction tube 10 (boat unloading). Then, the processed wafers W are removed from the boat 26 (wafer discharging).

[0057] The following are examples of processing conditions for forming a film on the wafer W. Note that the following numerical ranges include the lower and upper limits. Processing temperature (wafer temperature): 300℃ to 700℃, Processing pressure (pressure inside the processing chamber): 1 Pa to 4000 Pa, Raw material gas: 100sccm to 10,000sccm, Reaction gas: 100sccm to 10,000sccm, Inert gas: 100sccm to 10,000sccm, By setting each processing condition to a value within each range, it becomes possible to properly proceed with the film forming process.

[0058] The processing apparatus 2 of this embodiment can be applied not only to semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses but also to apparatuses for processing glass substrates, such as LCD apparatuses. It can also be applied to apparatuses for performing processes such as annealing, oxidation, nitriding, and diffusion. Furthermore, the above-mentioned film formation processes include, for example, CVD, PVD, processes for forming oxide films, nitride films, or both, and processes for forming films containing metals. [Example]

[0059] As an example, the effects of actually flowing a source gas inside a processing device 2 equipped with the gas supply body 44a of this embodiment were verified. Meanwhile, as a comparative example, a similar verification was conducted on a processing device equipped with a conventional U-turn nozzle. In this conventional U-turn nozzle, the inner diameter is the same on the forward and return paths, and the direction from the center of the forward path to the center of the return path is perpendicular to the direction in which gas is released from the opening. In each graph mentioned below, the solid line represents the example, and the dashed line represents the comparative example.

[0060] 11(A) is a graph showing the flow velocity of the source gas in the first piping section 61 of the gas supply body 44a. In this graph, the vertical axis represents the flow velocity (m / sec) in the first piping section 61, and the horizontal axis represents the height of the measurement point. That is, the graph shows that the source gas rises in the first piping section 61 from the upstream side on the right side of the horizontal axis to the downstream side on the left side. In the gas supply body 44a of the present embodiment, the inner diameter of the first piping section 61, which is the outward path of the U-turn nozzle, is smaller than the inner diameter of a conventional U-turn nozzle, and as a result, the flow velocity of the source gas increases throughout the entire region from upstream to downstream, with the increase in flow velocity being particularly noticeable downstream.

[0061] 11(B) is a graph showing the concentration of pyrolysis gas, a by-product generated by the thermal decomposition of the source gas, in the first piping section 61 of the gas supplier 44a. In this graph, the vertical axis represents the concentration (v / v%) of pyrolysis gas relative to the total gas in the first piping section 61, and the horizontal axis represents the height of the measurement point. That is, the graph shows that the source gas rises in the first piping section 61 from the upstream side on the right side to the downstream side on the left side of the horizontal axis. As shown in the graph of FIG. 11(A), as the flow rate of the source gas in the first piping section 61 increased, the pyrolysis of the source gas was suppressed compared to the conventional U-turn nozzle, and the concentration of the pyrolysis gas decreased, especially in the downstream region where the flow rate increased significantly.

[0062] 11(C) is a graph showing the partial pressure of pyrolysis gas, a by-product of the pyrolysis of the source gas, in the second piping section 62 of the gas supplier 44a. In this graph, the vertical axis represents the partial pressure (P) of the pyrolysis gas relative to the total gas in the second piping section 62, and the horizontal axis represents the height of the measurement point. That is, the graph shows that the source gas descends in the second piping section 62 from the upstream side on the left side to the downstream side on the right side of the horizontal axis. As shown in the graph of FIG. 11(B), as the concentration of pyrolysis gas decreased downstream in the first piping section 61, a decrease in the partial pressure of the pyrolysis gas was observed in the upstream region of the second piping section 62 immediately after the first piping section 61 via the connecting section 67 (see the dashed-dotted box) compared to the conventional U-turn nozzle.

[0063] FIG. 12 is a graph showing the gas flow velocity at the opening 45a of the second piping section 62 of the gas supply body 44a. In this graph, the vertical axis represents the flow velocity (m / sec) of the source gas in the second piping section 62, and the horizontal axis represents the height of the measurement point. That is, the source gas descends through the second piping section 62 from the upstream side on the left side of the horizontal axis to the downstream side on the right side of the horizontal axis. The periodic breaks in the curve of the graph indicate the portions of the opening 45a where the opening is interrupted to ensure strength. As shown in this graph, the example did not experience the decrease in flow velocity in the upstream region (see the dashed-dotted box) seen in conventional U-turn nozzles. This is thought to be related to the angle of the gas direction exiting the opening when the gas turns from the forward path to the return path of the U-turn nozzle. That is, when this angle is a right angle, as in conventional U-turn nozzles, in the upstream region of the return path immediately after the U-turn, a flow that avoids the opening is formed due to inertia, and the amount of gas flowing out of the opening is thought to be slightly reduced. On the other hand, in the example, this angle is more obtuse (see FIG. 5), which is thought to have suppressed the attenuation of the outflow amount due to the influence of the inertia of the gas flow. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 44a Gas supply body 45a opening 61 First piping section 62 Second piping section 63 Folded section

Claims

1. a first piping section into which gas is introduced; a second piping section having an opening through which the gas is released; a folded portion connecting the first piping portion and the second piping portion, The turning portion includes an extension portion having the same flow path cross-sectional area as the first piping portion and a change portion in which the flow path cross-sectional area changes, with a vertex portion as a boundary; The flow path cross-sectional area is configured to change from the vertex portion, a flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the second piping section is larger than a flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the first piping section; The gas supply body has a direction in which the gas is released from the opening that is inclined at an obtuse angle with respect to a direction from the center of the first piping section toward the center of the second piping section in a plan view.

2. The gas supply body according to claim 1 , wherein the apex of the folded portion has the same flow path cross-sectional area as the first piping portion.

3. The gas supply body according to claim 1 , wherein the transition portion is provided at a position higher than an opening provided in the second piping portion.

4. The gas supply body according to claim 1 , further comprising a connecting portion that connects the first piping portion and the second piping portion.

5. 5. The gas supply body according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the connecting portions is provided at a position higher than a lower end of the opening provided in the second piping portion.

6. 5. The gas supply body according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the connecting portions is provided at a position lower than the opening provided in the second piping portion.

7. 5. The gas supply body according to claim 4, wherein the connecting portions are provided at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the first piping portion and the second piping portion.

8. 5. The gas supply body according to claim 4, wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the connecting portion is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the first piping portion.

9. The gas supply body according to claim 1 , wherein the opening is provided midway through a flow path provided inside the second piping section, in a direction intersecting a direction in which the gas flows inside the second piping section.

10. the opening is a slit or a hole, The gas supply body according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the slits or holes are provided along the longitudinal direction of the second piping portion.

11. a first piping section into which gas is introduced; a second piping section having an opening through which the gas is released; a folded portion connecting the first piping portion and the second piping portion, The turning portion includes an extension portion having the same flow path cross-sectional area as the first piping portion and a change portion in which the flow path cross-sectional area changes, with a vertex portion as a boundary; The flow path cross-sectional area is configured to change from the vertex portion, a flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the second piping section is larger than a flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the first piping section; A processing apparatus comprising a gas supply body, wherein the direction in which the gas is released from the opening is inclined at an obtuse angle relative to the direction from the center of the first piping section to the center of the second piping section in a plan view.

12. Further comprising a second gas supply body having the same configuration as the gas supply body; The gas supply body and the second gas supply body are arranged next to each other, and the gas is supplied from both of them. The processing device of claim 11.

13. The processing apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the gas supply source and the second gas supply source are arranged so that the distance between each of the first piping sections is the same as the distance between each of the second piping sections.

14. 13. The processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein, in a plan view, at least one of the distance between the centers of the first piping section and the second piping section in the gas supply body or the distance between the centers of the first piping section and the second piping section in the second gas supply body is shorter than the distance between the centers of the first piping sections of the gas supply body and the second gas supply body or the distance between the centers of the second piping sections.

15. 13. The processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein, in a plan view, the distance between the centers of the first piping section and the second piping section of the gas supply body is the same as the distance between the centers of the second piping section of the gas supply body and the first piping section of the second gas supply body.

16. The gas supply unit further includes an additional gas supply body configured to have an opening on a side thereof; The processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the gas supply and the additional gas supply are arranged to supply the gas from both of them.

17. 17. The processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the gas supplied from the gas supply body is different from the gas supplied from the additional gas supply body.

18. the gas supply is configured to supply a source gas; 18. The processing system of claim 17, wherein the additional gas supply provides a reactive gas.

19. The opening of the gas supply body is formed in a slit shape, 18. The processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the opening of the additional gas supply body is formed in a hole shape.

20. a first piping section into which gas is introduced; a second piping section having an opening through which the gas is released; a folded portion connecting the first piping portion and the second piping portion, The turning portion includes an extension portion having the same flow path cross-sectional area as the first piping portion and a change portion in which the flow path cross-sectional area changes, with a vertex portion as a boundary; The flow path cross-sectional area is configured to change from the vertex portion, a flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the second piping section is larger than a flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the first piping section; A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising a step of processing an object to be processed by supplying the gas using a gas supply body in which the direction in which the gas is released from the opening is inclined at an obtuse angle with respect to a direction from the center of the first piping section to the center of the second piping section in a plan view.

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